


I Run, They Run, Everybody Run Run

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Crash Landing, Hutts, Hux having more weapons than is entirely possible, Hux is Not Nice, Hux is a badass, Hux is a weapon's specialist, Hux-centric, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Kylo in the slave Leia outfit, Kylo is pretty much not now boner in this whole thing, Kylo thinks Hux is too hot, Like, M/M, Needles, Planets, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Sexual Tension, Slaves, Sniper!Hux, Some Plot, and Kylo thinks this is hot, fade to black because smut is not my forte, force mind reading, hot damn, mindless self indulgence - Freeform, oh blood, phasma has had enough of their shit, quite a lot of blood, random planet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-28
Updated: 2016-03-28
Packaged: 2018-05-29 17:20:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6385432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"In retrospect, pushing a damaged craft manned by possibly the two most important figures of the First Order into hyperdrive in the hope of escaping resistance ships who were all too accurate with their aim was probably not a good idea."</p><p>Basically Hux and Kylo stranded on a planet with people who may or may not absolutely despise them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Run, They Run, Everybody Run Run

**Author's Note:**

> Well. This has grown from merely being Hux with a stupid number of weapons stashed in his clothes much to Kylo's shock and, let's face it, lust, to like 11 pages of self indulgent bad ass Hux kicking fucking arse. Also to Kylo's shock and lust. 
> 
> And Kylo being a blushing Disney Princess. 
> 
> I will update the European extravaganza eventually, but I am procrastinating my work by doing that and then procrastinating that by writing this.
> 
> Oh and title from Don't Stop by Foster the People

In retrospect, pushing a damaged craft manned by possibly the two most important figures of the First Order into hyperdrive in the hope of escaping resistance ships who were all too accurate with their aim was probably not a good idea. Their speed was enough to lose the enemy, but also overloaded the engines and caused them to veer off into the gravity of a planet they couldn’t identify while their ship rocketed downwards in a constant roll. They were lucky that one of their engines was still functional and that Kylo had inherited the legendary piloting skills of his father and grandfather, otherwise they would have plummeted to a fiery death instead of a mostly controlled gliding crash.

Hux suspected that Kylo had somehow used the force to cushion the crash, as neither of them had so much as a scratch despite their rocky landing. The same could not be said for the ship, however, which was broken up beyond repair. They had evacuated as soon as possible, taking only the possessions they had on them and wandered off into the endless expanse of sand ahead.

Perhaps it was the lateness of the day, but the desert planet seemed surprisingly cool and Hux was glad for the warmth of his coat. Kylo walked close to him, looming figure like a shadow in his periphery.

“Please tell me that you didn’t remove the tracker from your belt,” Hux asked, stumbling a little in the loose sand, “It’s the only way Phasma is going to find us quickly.”

Helmetless since his defeat on Starkiller base, Kylo scowled, “I resent the fact that you installed a tracker in the first place.”

“You weren’t complaining when it allowed me to rescue you on Starkiller.” He said, “Oh wait, you were, because you always complain. You didn’t even thank me.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you thanking me for saving your life not half an hour ago.” Kylo grumbled, “But yes. I do still have that tracker.”

“Good.” Hux replied, ignoring Kylo’s hint for recognition, “It should only take Phasma a few hours, a day at most, to find and pick us up. Until then we should find some sort of shelter.” He looked around at the seemingly desolate desert, “Can’t you… I don’t know… sense any lifeforms around here?”

“That’s not how the force works,” Kylo scoffed.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t know how your strange magical powers function.” Hux scowled, “Though I should have suspected that you can’t use it for anything useful. So far I’ve only ever seen you assault my crew, intrude on my thoughts and summon things you’re too lazy to fetch yourself.”

As he spoke his final words he felt something graze down his spine. He looked over to Kylo who was staring innocuously out into desert, hands still by his sides. He was immediately suspicious.

Opening his mouth to speak, he felt the touch again, though this time it was a salacious squeeze to his behind and he yelped, blushing hard, "Ren!”

Kylo smirked at him, waggling his eyebrows, “What? I’m just demonstrating another use of the force.”

“Yes, I’m sure Snoke trained you how to- to feel up people with the force!” he spat.

“You’re very quick to protest,” Kylo grinned, relishing in the General’s discomfort, “You forget that I have seen inside your head, Hux. What was it you thought my eyes looked like when you first saw my face?”

Hux flushed even more, much to his chagrin, the colour clashing with his ginger hair, “A momentary lapse of insanity, I assure you.”

“I suppose all those other times I’ve caught you thinking of me were also lapses of insanity?” Kylo stopped, stepping into Hux’s path and towering over him, “My, my, I wonder what Snoke would think if he could see the thoughts you have of me while we’re in a meeting.”

Moving into Kylo’s personal space, Hux smiled enticingly at him, “Oh, I’m sure even he would approve of my plans to smother you to death, you petulant child.” He brushed past him and continued walking, footsteps heavy with frustration rather than the anger he wished he felt.

“Wait!” Kylo warned, stopping in his tracks.

“What? What is your problem now?”  Hux groaned. He was already sick of this forsaken planet and the sooner Phasma tracked them down the better.

“Don’t you see that? Over the ridge?”

Hux craned his neck but couldn’t see anything but weathered buildings, “See what? Why can’t you just spit things out, Ren, it would get us to the point so much faster.”

“That’s classic Hutt architecture.” Kylo replied, looking concerned.

Hux rolled his eyes, “And suddenly you’re an expert on architecture now?”

Kylo pulled him back by his arm, looking at his as though he were an idiot, “Hux, I _know_ these buildings. My parents had dealings with the Hutts before my birth, hell, Jabba froze my father in carbonite and enslaved my mother!”

“Then I’d have thought you would love them; you’ve always hated your parents.” Quipped Hux.

“The Hutt’s have no care for alliances, for the Light or the Dark, they’re a crime syndicate.” Kylo explained, “My mother killed Jabba and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hutts have been plotting revenge for the past 30 years. I’m a target purely by association. I’m as good as dead as soon as they realise who I am.”

“Easy solution, don’t tell them who you are.” Hux reasoned, “How would they even find out the truth?”

“Hux, they are the gangsters of the galaxy, they have eyes everywhere. They probably already know we’ve crashed here, never mind my old name.”

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose, “Great. Only you would crash land on a planet full of the space mafia. I suppose there’s no bargaining with them?”

Before they could say anymore, a ship raced out from behind the hills and approached the pair, weapons drawn. Hux grabbed the rifle from his back and knelt down in the sand, expertly taking down half of the speeder’s crew. The open-top ship veered to the left, trying to get out of range of Hux but to no avail. He cursed as he saw the pilot speaking into a comm, evidentially calling for back up; he didn’t know what calibre of weapons they had on this planet but doubted that he could take down a whole platoon single-handedly, even if he did have a powerful force user with him.

Nevertheless, he aimed at the fuel tanks of the speeder, his shot sparking a fireball that shook the ground, causing Kylo to stumble slightly behind him. Hux was hyper aware of the sound of several more engines in the quiet of the crackling fire nearby.

“Well they aren’t going to be happy with me.” Hux muttered, snatching up his plasma rifle and dragging Kylo behind the relative cover of a sand dune. It wouldn’t shield them from capture, no, but it would buy them some time to work out what to do when faced with the Hutt.

“Kylo, whatever you do, do not tell them who you are.” Hux looked Kylo over and frowned, “Ideally you would be in an officer’s uniform or something that wasn’t so… outlandish. I’m sure if they don’t recognise your face they’ll recognise your fashion sense.”

“…You just blew up a ship.” Kylo said in awe.

“What?” Hux groaned, “Yes, yes, and they’re going to be rather angry with me for that. So it’s best if we don’t advertise that you are in fact the son of their sworn enemy.”

“Where did you learn to shoot like that?” Kylo pressed, too fascinated by seeing Hux so adept with combat to properly listen to him.

Hux spluttered, “What has that got to do with anything? Are you even listening to me?” The whir of the engines grew louder and he peered over the dune to see four more ships silhouetted in the low sun, only a few minutes away, “Shit! Here take this.”

He pushed the rifle into a startled Kylo’s hands and searched his pockets, hoping he still had what he was looking for. His hands brushed over cool metal and, relieved, he pulled out the pulse grenade. In one smooth motion he tossed the grenade at the incoming ships and retrieved the plasma rifle. The electromagnetic pulse rendered three of the ships useless, but the fourth had been approaching from further to the right, probably aiming to launch an attack from behind.

The ship was too close now to risk hitting the engines, so Hux settled with taking out the remaining guards from the malfunctioning ships ahead. Kylo, sensing Hux’s plan, pulled out his saber to ward off the incoming fire from the mounted blaster, using the force to shunt the bolts into the dust.

There were far more soldiers on the downed ship than Hux anticipated, so he was too distracted to recognise the stun grenade that was hurled toward them. Kylo knocked it off course, but they were still in its blast radius when it exploded, stunning both of them.

Hux’s ears were ringing, his vision nothing more than a flash of white. He stumbled to his feet, reaching out searchingly for Kylo. The cool touch that Kylo had taunted him with earlier was back, the force pulling him by reassuringly by the hand. His hands soon found the thick fabric of the Knight’s cowl and he pulled the man towards him.

The effects of the stun grenade began to lessen, and Hux could make out the blurry shape of Ren, could hear the warped words that were being uttered to him, “Hux! I’m here.”

There was a warmth engulfing him and it took him a few moments to realise it was Kylo holding his waist in a comforting clasp. He loosened the grip on the cowl, sliding his hand to grasp at Kylo’s firm shoulder.

The hold, however, was short-live as Hux was tugged backwards by rough hands. A disgruntled guard ripped the rifle from Hux’s hands and followed suit with Kylo’s lightsaber. Their senses were still shaky, but they could understand the guard’s words perfectly.

“Oh, I’m sure our master will be pleased to see this,” the man snarled, “Kylo Ren, perhaps if you wish to remain hidden you shouldn’t wield your signature lightsaber. Everyone on this side of the galaxy knows that weapon well.”

Hux rolled his eyes at Kylo’s carelessness as he was roughly handcuffed and pushed to the floor of the speeder.

“You’re lucky that we had these cuffs in anticipation of a force user’s visit,” the guard crowed as he pulled out a set of unusual looking bonds with small needle like protrusions. He jabbed the needles into Kylo’s inner wrists, the Knight directing a steely glare at him, teeth clenched in pain. Kylo felt fuzzy as the metal was locked around his wrists and he was shoved into the speeder as well.

“What have you done to me?” Kylo gritted his jaw.

 The guard laughed, “Something wrong? An old relic from the days of the Empire; force dampening cuffs. Good luck trying to escape these.”

Ren slumped over, head resting on Hux’s shoulder as he adjusted to being separated from the power of the force. Approaching the rundown palace of the Hutt, Kylo attempted to sit up, taking all of his resolve to make this simple movement. Escorted like petty criminals through the gates, he walked close to Hux on his unsteady legs.

“Well, well, Ben Solo.” The Hutt snarled in garbled common tongue, once they were pushed through the door to the Hutt’s chambers, “I’ve been waiting for the day I can punish the Solo and Skywalker filth, and here you are. I am Rotta, son of Jabba Desilijic Tiure and we have a debt to settle.”

He gestured to one of his blue-skinned Twi'lek slave girls who stepped cautiously forward, carrying something in her arms.

“Recognise this?” he spat, as the girl held out the strange outfit, a skimpy brass bikini with purple cloth being the only modesty, “Your whore mother suited it well. I’m sure you’ll suit it too.”

His minions hooted in glee as Kylo rushed at him in rage, only to be pulled back by the Hutt’s guards.

“Search them” Rotta commanded to his prisoner’s guards, who quickly jumped into action.

Kylo glowered as he was roughly patted down, intrusive hands grabbing at his robes. His lightsaber was already in his captor’s possession and his force dampening bonds had drained him enough that he was unable to act.

He glanced over to Hux who was standing as stoic as ever with his chin raised. The guards had taken Hux’s plasma rifle, but soon pulled two concealed heavy blaster pistols from the inner pockets of his greatcoat. Kylo raised an eyebrow at the ginger who stubbornly ignored him.

He watched in disbelief as the guards decided to remove Hux’s coat, deftly uncuffing and recuffing him before he could attempt an escape, to reveal a previously obscured bowcaster strapped to his back. No wonder Hux always looked so bulky under that ridiculous coat.

A third guard stepped in to search the pockets of the greatcoat, finding a switchblade and two knuckle dusters as well as what looked like a few thermal detonators.

Peeved, the guards stripped him off his General’s jacket, leaving him exposed in only the thin black undershirt. Another blaster pistol could be clearly seen in the waistband of his slacks, as well as two miniature plasma carry guns in holsters in his suspenders. Hux even had a sheath wrapped around his bicep with a short dagger stashed in.

They made him slip out of his boots, though they left them unchecked and set them to one side, and strip down to his underwear. He had yet another knife sheath on his thigh, this time holding a menacing looking serrated vibroblade. Despite his near nakedness, Hux stood as proudly as ever.

Once all the weapons were laid out the guards stepped back and all eyes in the room shot to Hux.

“What?” Hux said, almost defensively, “I like to be prepared.”

“Well your preparations have given us a marvellous bounty.” Rotta said, looking at the array of weapons in glee, “And because you have offered us such a gift I will allow you to redress, human. Besides, it would be a shame if you froze to death before we had the chance to begin your punishment; don’t think your slaughter outside went unnoticed.” He turned to the guards, switching back into his native tongue and barking out orders that neither man could understand.

Hux quickly pulled on his trousers and boots, though the guards pulled him and Kylo down towards the cells before he could put on his jacket and coat.

Soon Hux was pushed into the cell, though Kylo was taken somewhere else, eyes wide in alarm. Hux sat on the dusty stone chair, assessing his prison. Without tools he couldn’t discreetly break his way out and he didn’t know how long Phasma would take to find them so couldn’t rely on her to save them. No, he was going to have to find a way to overpower the guards.

He shifted in his boots, noting the uncomfortable rigidity of the sides. He paused and slipped a finger into his left boot, feeling something unexpected. No, they couldn’t have…? They wouldn’t be so stupid, would they?

Grinning to himself, he sat back on the slab and waited for the guards to take him to his punishment. 

He couldn’t have been in the cell longer than half an hour when the door opened and Kylo was haphazardly shoved through the door, falling to the floor. He was no longer wearing his black robes; instead he was wearing the outfit that Rotta had displayed earlier, the purple of the cloth vibrant against his pale thighs and matching the mottled bruises scattered over his skin. Kylo may as well have been naked, the long expanse of his skin from shoulder to ankle uncovered. His feet were the only part of him covered, with green ankle high boots that sloped up his calves.

Hux stood but made no steps towards Kylo, simply watching him rise and determinedly hobble to the small cot at the side of the room. He eased himself down, hissing as he disturbed some bruises on his hips from where the guards had bundled him into the unyielding metal of the briefs.

“Well. I certainly didn’t expect this to happen today.” Hux said, trying not to stare at the exposed skin, yet still noticing the dark moles that peppered the Knight’s skin.

Kylo glared at him, “You just had to crash land on a planet that houses a race of creatures that hate me.”

“Me? This is not my fault, Ren!” Hux bristled, “Besides, I’m sure there’s someone that hates you on every world. Though I doubt many of them would play dress up with you.”

“I am going to kill everyone on this planet.” Kylo muttered darkly.

“Oh, such a shame, we could have done that if you hadn’t let Starkiller be destroyed.”

“You’re acting like I was the one who blew it up!” Kylo yelled.

“You may as well have been! You were just standing there having a catch up with your father while that Wookie planted bombs all over the oscillator.” Hux retorted.

“And where were you the whole time? You certainly had enough weapons to take down five members of the resistance.” Kylo challenged, “Which reminds me, why the hell did you have an entire arsenal of deadly weapons on you?”

“I told you, I like to be prepared.” Hux answered, ignoring the previous question, “I would have used more of them but we weren’t in a very tactically strong position. Besides, I prefer stealth over power.”

“Stealth? Hux I hate to break it to you but the last thing you are is stealthy.” Kylo snorted, “You’ve blown up too many planets and it wasn’t exactly a subtle action.”

“Yes, well, it was certainly unexpected, was it not?” Hux smirked.

“Unexpected is one word I would use.” Kylo said, gaze traveling up Hux’s slim form, “The way you handled that rifle… I thought you were never in the field?”

“I have been, a few times, before I was promoted to General.” Hux said wistfully, “Besides, it was part of basic academy training. I graduated top of my class in all fields, with specific honours in weaponry. There was a reason I was chosen to father Starkiller base.”

“But you had knuckledusters, and switchblades too, I can’t imagine the academy sanctioned the training of weapons of petty criminals.”

Hux eyes flashed smugly, “We all have our secrets. You said I wasn’t stealthy, but tell that to my tutors who never knew that I’d sneak out most nights into the town and get into bar fights.”

Kylo scoffed, “You? The great General Stick-Up-His-Arse Hux in a bar fight?”

“Care for a demonstration?” Hux asked, stepping closer to Kylo, though he didn’t feel threatened. On the contrary, he felt rather excited. 

Kylo stood up to meet him, looking down at the ginger man’s face. He couldn’t help but admire the attractive curve of his cheekbones and the frankly adorable smattering of freckles across his nose. He drew in a breath as Hux brushed his hand across the exposed skin of his thigh and trailed up across his chest, taking a moment to purposely graze his cool fingers across his nipple. Kylo shuddered against the touch, leaning even more into Hux’s space, eyes never leaving each other’s heated stare.

The moment was broken by the clanging of a key in the lock of their cell and the rusty hinges squealing in protest. Hux let his wandering hand drop and paced back towards the seat while the guard stormed into the room. They had barely left Kylo alone for ten minutes; there must be serious retribution in store for him.

 “Oi, Solo” the man yelled, “The Hutt has plans for you, princess.”

Hux stepped in front of the guard who grinned at him mockingly, “Aw, how noble, protecting your little boyfriend.” The thug promptly slammed his fist into Hux’s stomach. Buckling over from the blow, Hux stayed in a crouch as the foolish guard pushed violently past him towards the deteriorating Kylo.

In one smooth motion, Hux whipped out a vibrodagger from the inside of his boot and there was barely time to register the low hum before he plunged the blade into the guard’s lower back. Muffling the sound of his screams with a surprisingly strong hand over his mouth, Hux sneered into the thug’s ear, twisting the dagger, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you never to turn your back on your enemy?”

Hux dropped the corpse of the man, and reluctantly wiped hands on his breeches. He snatched the keys off the body and strode over to Kylo, who was staring at him in wonder.

“The fools neglected to search my boots.” Hux grinned at him, freeing him from the energy cuffs and pulling him up towards the door, “Damn, I’m never going to get the blood out of this uniform.” He said frowning down at his soiled breeches, before collecting himself and assessing the situation, “You’re going to have to cover me while I tackle them with the vibrodaggers.”

Kylo was about to say something in return when another guard stepped into the room, concerned about the time his colleague was taking to retrieve Ren. Even in his weakened state Kylo could feel the force flowing through him once again and skilfully deflected the incoming blaster bolt, Hux already gliding over, blades in hand and ready to kill. The guard shot at Hux, who ducked down and kicked out at his ankles, knocking him off his feet. In the blink of an eye Hux had risen once more and slashed the guard’s throat.

“First things first,” Hux said calmly, as though he had not just killed a man, “We need to retrieve my weapons before they get sold to some scum who doesn’t know how to use them. And clothes, we should get you some proper clothes.”

“Clothes first.” Kylo said sharply, “I know where they are. The weapons are being stored nearby; I saw the guards moving them. They were debating whether to sell my robes too, considering they’re made with expensive fabrics.”

Hux looked at him carefully, considering the options, “Fine. You lead the way.”

Kylo weaved through the empty corridors, too many of the guards killed by Hux earlier to waste guarding deserted cells, and into what looked like an old fighting pit. Even though it was disused the stench of death still hung in the air.

The small citadel had clearly not been particularly prosperous in the past few years and Hux could not help but think that it was due to the bitter feud with the Skywalker’s and Solo’s. Had they had the support of the Resistance or the First Order surely the planet would serve as an important outpost and benefitted from the trade, but as it was a Skywalker or a Solo was at the helm of both major powers.

Hux was about to speak when Kylo silently shushed him, pointing towards the iron grate above them where quiet voices could be heard. He tapped a finger to Hux’s forehead and one to his own before Hux felt a sensation similar to brain-freeze in his mind.

 _‘There’s a trapdoor that leads directly to this pit. The Hutts used to keep Rancors and feed unwanted prisoners to them.’_ Kylo explained, projecting into his mind

 _‘Well that explains the horrible stench’,_ Hux observed.

 _‘They stored the weapons in there,’_ thought Kylo, pointing to a side room that looked like it was housed the sleeping area for the Rancor, _‘My clothes are through here,’_ he pointed to another side room, though Hux could not guess its use, and promptly walked through to redress.

Hux looked up thoughtfully at the trap door, tilting his head to one side as he listened to the voices. He could make out Rotta’s voice, though not what he was saying, and the Twi'lek girl’s meek replies. There was some laughter, too, and Hux could only guess it was a few guests he was entertaining. While the guards did not speak, he recalled that there had been around a dozen on the ship that he hadn’t managed to destroy, so there could only be thirty people maximum they had to kill to escape. Easy.

He only hoped that Rotta had sent no more guards to investigate their cell so they would have time to launch a surprise attack.

Clearing himself of his thoughts, Hux wandered over to the room where his weapons were being stored and sighed in relief when he saw that they were all present and undamaged. For seemingly omniscient gangsters the Hutt’s were surprisingly clueless when it came to contraband. Though, Hux supposed, they had been mostly isolated for the past thirty years, so their primitive ways could be excused. Especially if they allowed such an easy escape.

He almost lovingly caressed the barrel of his plasma rifle, setting it to one side while he equipped his myriad of weapons. Now that he no longer had his greatcoat, he was forced to leave the handful of thermal detonators in favour of finding Ren. Doing a last minute sweep of the room he spotted Kylo’s lightsaber cast aside in the corner of the room. He swiped it up and walked back out into the pit.

Kylo was already waiting for him, once again clothed in his sweeping black robes. While Hux had admired the tantalising flesh on display, he much preferred Kylo in his signature clothing. In his robes Ren was pure chaos and power, almost untouchable. It would be more rewarding to experience his soft expanse of skin when he was willingly stripped by Hux’s own hands.

 _‘What did you do with the bikini?’_ Hux smirked.

 _‘I snapped the metal and tore the fabric to pieces.’_ He answered darkly.

‘ _Such a shame; purple suits you.’_ Teased Hux.

Kylo merely glowered at him before snatching his lightsaber out of his hands and stomping towards the corridor.

‘ _Wait’,_ Hux projected, ‘ _There were a few thermal detonators I had to leave behind. They’ll come in handy later if you can store them in that swamping cloak.’_

Kylo sighed lightly, but looped back to collect the bombs regardless. He soon returned and with a raise of his brow they left the pit in search of escape. Walking back past their cell, they still didn’t encounter any guards, much to Hux’s ire; they had to audacity to capture them and not even put up a decent fight. It was almost a waste.

They crept up to Rotta’s room where the Hutt was entertaining an audience of bounty hunters. The blue-skinned slave who was present earlier was no longer by Rotta’s side, but was slumped in the corner of the room, unconscious. A new slave was entertaining the crowd, this time an orange skinned Twi'lek male. He was dressed in clothes similar to those that they had taunted Ren with, fastened to chains on the wall by a thick collar.

Hux would never claim to be a good man, but he had been adamant that the First Order would not condone the use of slaves. Having grown up on a planet inhabited by the disgraced families of the Empire, he had seen too many of his peers sent into slavery by their families to settle debts. His sister had only narrowly avoided this fate, Hux instead using his knowledge of mechanics to improve the potential captor’s ship to appease him. He knew from the bitterness of once faithful families that slavery inspired no loyalty.

He made sure that the families of the conscripted children for his Stormtrooper army were duly compensated for their loyal service, refusing to allow the children to be considered slaves. Phasma understood this and looked after the troopers as though they were family.

He couldn’t risk using a thermal detonator; it would kill the slaves and he couldn’t rely on the structural integrity of the Hutt architecture to not bury them all in rubble. Besides, he mused, if he spared the Twi’lek’s then the First Order’s relations with Ryloth could be strengthened, and they needed all the allies they could get. He gripped the plasma rifle tightly; a more personal approach was needed.

 _‘Kylo,’_ Hux thought, hoping this was the way the mental connection worked, ‘ _Six bounty hunters, no guards, two slaves and Rotta. Spare the slaves, kill everyone else.’_

Kylo nodded, raising his lightsaber, _‘The bounty hunters are armed. I’ll cover you with the force. Rotta is incidental, he’s unarmed and has little physical strength.’_

 _‘After you,’_ Hux gestured, placing the rifle down and drawing out his two blasters.

Kylo tore into the room, quickly followed by Hux. Hux had enough time fire at the closest bounty hunter to him, a short man in a dark brown mask, before the others reacted. The shots caught him in the shoulder and neck, spurting blood onto the table in front of him.

The servant shrank back in shock and huddled into the corner where the blue Twi’lek girl was collapsed, her eyes fluttering now she was waking. Rotta had nowhere to go, could only watch in despair as his most loyal bounty hunters were cut down in front of him.

Kylo deflected as many blaster bolts as he could, swinging his lightsaber powerfully down, slicing a Rodian bounty hunter across the chest. He quickly spun, dodging a swipe from the claws of a particularly rotund Trandoshan and thrust the saber into his stomach. He thought back to the final moments of Starkiller, back to his father, and grimaced, dragging the lightsaber up and almost tearing the bounty hunter in half.

Hux was caught in a duel with a maskless sallow faced man, taking cover behind a table. Growing frustrated with the ongoing fight, Hux threw his gun at the bounty hunter and distracting him enough vault over the tables, pulling the blade from the holster at his thigh and slicing at his throat. The man leaned back, avoiding the knife, but Hux was too quick and slammed the blade into his exposed chest.

Kylo faced a woman this time, taller than even him and with opal eyes and jet black skin. She was clearly adept at hand to hand combat, extending to her impressive avoidance of each of Kylo’s strikes. She surprised him by flipping backwards and landing a harsh kick to his stomach. He keeled over slightly, just at the right angle that he could see the third bounty hunter take a shot at Hux.

Hux saw a flash to his left and watched as the red bolt changed trajectory entirely, hitting back into the chest of the bounty hunter who fired it thanks to Kylo.  

“Drop the weapon,” a voice called out as Hux spun to pull the blade from the dead man’s chest.

Hux turned and froze.

Kylo stared at him with wide eyes, the bounty hunter with an arm wrapped securely around his neck and a blaster at his temple. He had been too distracted saving Hux that she was able to ambush him.

“Drop your weapon or I kill him.” She warned, pushing the muzzle harder against Kylo’s flesh. Hux could tell that she wasn’t used to handling firearms; she seemed to be more adept with melee weapons if she couldn’t use hand to hand combat.

Hux raised his free hand as a sign of surrender, lowering to the floor to place the vibroblade down, eyes never leaving the bounty hunter. He saw her relax, lowering the gun in a tiny movement, but it was an amateur’s mistake. In a split second Hux had swung his arm back, before rapidly flicking it forward and throwing the knife at the bounty hunter. She had no time to react before the knife embedded itself into her forehead and her grip on Kylo loosened and she collapsed to the floor.

Hux stood in the centre of the room, covered in blood and viscera, his breathing calm and collected. If Kylo thought he was attractive earlier it was nothing compared to how he looked now, beautiful and terrible all at once.

“You- you fight good.” Kylo panted at Hux, wiping blood from his face.

Hux quirked his lip in a smile, “You’re not too bad yourself.”

Rotta making a choking noise from behind him, and Hux suddenly remembered himself, picking up his discarded blaster and heading towards Rotta’s bed, ready to act.

He was surprised, however, to find the Hutt already dead. He looked over to Kylo who tipped his head towards the slaves. The blue-skinned girl was panting, chain in hand from where she had taken the chance to strangle her captor in the midst of the previous carnage.

There was a steely look in her eyes, any fear she may have felt before was gone, “You kill me then?” she said, using the snippets of common tongue she had picked up.

Hux shook his head, “No. The First Order has no quarrel with Ryloth.”

“The First Order?” she asked, loosening her grip on the chain when she noticed the emblem on his undershirt, “Like the Empire?”

“Yes, were are similar to the Empire.” He said cautiously, “I am General Hux and this is Commander Kylo Ren.”

He looked to Kylo, who understood the message immediately. Raising his hand, he focused his energy on releasing the chaffing collars from around the slaves’ necks. Even though they were now freed, none of them attempted to run, a bravery that Hux admired.

The girl half smiled, it looked as though she had not done so in a while, “I am Yanhinel. I care not where you are from, truly, I wish only to be free.”

Hux stood a little straighter and assessed the woman before him. She was fearless even in her position of vulnerability, and intelligent, having seemingly learned the common tongue purely from observation. Yes, she could be a valuable asset to the Order. “I will personally oversee your return to Ryloth.” He declared, “And ensure you are suitably rewarded for your assistance to the First Order. Both of you.”

Yanhinel looked torn between delight and suspicion. Her joy soon won out, reasoning that if they wanted to kill them then they would already be dead, and she hastened to tell the other Twi’lek about the offering.

“For now, I advise you wait here while I dispatch the remaining guards.” He said with finality, facing Ren once more.

He collected his discarded weapons and made from the entrance hall. The guards must have assumed the chaos inside was a result of the rowdy group of bounty hunters inside and not wanted to interfere. Fools.

Hux sighed at the ease of the conquest, pulling the bowcaster from his back and composing himself before he slipped through the door into the hall, Kylo hot on his heels.

His earlier estimation had been correct, and there were fewer than ten guards lounging forlornly in the hall. They clearly were not expecting another attack from their prisoners so soon after many of their friends and colleagues had been killed. They barely even had time to pick up their weapons before Hux had fired and Kylo had lunged forward with his lightsaber.

They made quick work of eliminating the last few guards and stood breathless and chuckling in the bloodied hall. Perhaps it was the adrenaline coursing through him, or simply the intense desire Hux’s aptitude with weapons stirred in him, but Kylo could not stop himself from striding over to the ginger man, grabbing his waist and tugging him close.

 _‘Finally,’_ Hux thought, lowering his weapon.

He reached up and wrapped a bloodied palm around the back of Kylo’s neck, dragging him down into a rough kiss. Kylo moved his hands up to muss Hux’s hair, delighting in the disgruntled growl and sharp bite to his lips it earned him.

The kiss grew more impassioned with Kylo’s wandering hands teasing under the cotton of his vest, rubbing softy at Hux’s newly exposed skin.

“Ahem,” a metallic voice sounded from the front doors.

Hux had his bowcaster raised and pointed in the face of the intruder before another word could be spoke. He was surprised to see the familiar chrome mask of Captain Phasma, unflinching in the face of danger.

“Sir,” she said with barely concealed glee, “Enjoying your stay?”

Attempting to flatten down his unruly hair, he scowled, “Hardly. Though I suppose I’m having a better time than our hosts. I trust you will take care of the mess?” he commanded, “There are two Twi’leks in the main chamber who are to be treated as guests. Find them a room in the officer’s quarters and some more appropriate clothing. They are to be returned to Ryloth as soon as possible.”

“I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of the limited space in the officer’s quarters as of late, sir?” Phasma replied, “I would have to relocate some of the more junior officers.”

“Nonsense,” Hux said, meeting Kylo’s eyes heatedly, “They can use my quarters. I’m sure I can find somewhere else to sleep in the meantime.”

He very pointedly did not censor his thoughts that he projected to Kylo.

Later Phasma would swear that Hux actually laughed at the blush on Kylo’s face.

 

 


End file.
